Peyton Manning Rumors: Coming to Terms with Possibility of QB in Washington

As my past rants have shown, I’m not on the Peyton Manning-to-Washington bandwagon. Not only am I unwilling to place faith in another one-system veteran who likes to do things his own way, but Manning’s health comes off as one of the largest red flags in sports injury history. To be completely honest with you, the entire rumor surrounding the idea is terrifying.

That being said, one has to understand where head coach Mike Shanahan is coming from. Regardless of who is starting under center—whether he be a rookie, journeyman or veteran—all Shanahan wants is one last Super Bowl ring, one. And when there’s a chance to bring one of the best quarterbacks of all time to your team, the attraction and desire comes naturally. All the talk regarding injury, relationship, passion, age and fit goes in one ear and out the other. The words Peyton Manning to the Redskins ring sexy.

It seems to me that talks this week surrounding Manning in Washington have grown stronger and stronger. What was once an entertaining rumor now appears to be something closer to fact. With numerous sources confirming at least some interest by both the Washington Redskins and Peyton Manning, I have begun to prepare myself for the move.

Unless the argument is to have Peyton Manning join the Redskins as an offensive coordinator, no one will ultimately convince me that No. 18 in Washington is a good idea. Sure, it has some positive potential, but the risk is far too heavy for a team in such a significant rebuilding mode.

However, because I don’t want to be the disgruntled and raging Redskins fan once the season begins, I have decided to create a list of demands that would have to come along with the Manning acquisition in order for me to come to terms with it. Although it wouldn’t make things perfect between us, I believe that I could at least sleep at night knowing that the front office was authoritative and sticking to its guns.

1. Team-Benefiting Contract

Paying Peyton Manning top dollar as an effective starting quarterback in this league is expected, regardless of whether or not your team owner is Dan Snyder. But make sure Manning is on the field and playing if you’re going to pay him.

Even as a future Hall of Famer, Manning has to understand the hand that was dealt. Incentive-laden contracts aren’t a sign of disrespect or non-belief. They’re a part of the game’s financial puzzle when you’re dealing with crucial surgeries and/or major injury risk. Whether it’s Peyton Manning or Steve Bono, that much shouldn’t change.

If the Redskins open up their wallet and pay Peyton Manning like it’s 2008, I may be forced to sit out the season as a fan. Don’t tie yourself down, don’t make a huge commitment and honor the hefty salary (again, deserved if healthy) only if Manning is starting all 16 games. This team can’t afford to be bogged down any longer by smoke-and-mirror quarterback acquisitions.

2. Move Down the Bench, Son

Besides the obvious changes on the field, acquiring Peyton Manning would also change things off the field. And for the predicted success rate of this entire operation, I hope that Mike Shanahan has taken the blinders off and realizes how this would work out.

Peyton Manning (to no one’s surprise) is the writer, creator, director, producer and lead actor of the Peyton Manning Show. Peyton Manning practices the way he wants, he plays the way he wants and he commands his offense the way he wants. This isn’t to say that Manning is some sort of overbearing jackass—his success and statistics prove otherwise—but it’s commonly noted as public knowledge.

The reason I bring this up is because I guarantee that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan would have to take a backseat to Peyton Manning in the case that he comes to Washington. With mediocre talent and no superstar on the offensive side of the ball, Kyle Shanahan has been in control of his offense since arriving in D.C. But with Peyton Manning in town, Kyle would be gently (because it’s his daddy) kicked to the curb like an old Twinkie wrapper.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder how awkward it would make things for Papa Shanahan and the rest of the coaching staff. Personally, I’d take Peyton as my team’s coordinator over Kyle any day, but I wouldn’t want any family feuds to come about.

3. The Buddy System

Even as the main act of the Peyton Manning Show, Peyton Manning still likes to have his familiar sidekicks.

With the Redskins also needing help in the areas of offensive line and wide receiver, it’s just a semi-perfect coincidence that Manning’s former cronies Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Jeff Saturday are also free agents this offseason.

I’m not implying that the Redskins should suddenly take on the look of the Indianapolis Colts and bring all three along with Manning, but I’d have to think that at least one of them would be in burgundy and gold too.

Pierre Garcon is a young and budding receiver who could make some pretty good money elsewhere by trying his hand as a No. 1.

Reggie Wayne is obviously on the downturn of his career but is still very effective. As cool as it may be to picture Wayne in a Redskins jersey, I could see him signing with a team that could make a run next season—perhaps the Ravens alongside his buddy Ed Reed.

And then there’s Jeff Saturday, the aging veteran center who has squatted on Peyton’s hands for the last 12 years.

Although it’d be neat to see a receiver in Washington who is familiar with Manning and his tendencies, I honestly believe that Peyton can make receivers out of anyone. But when it comes down to the audibles, the line signals and the overall familiarity between two players at two different positions, Jeff Saturday seems to me like a necessary add-on to the Peyton Manning idea.

Trent Williams at left tackle, Kory Lichtensteiger gets another go at left guard, Jeff Saturday is the general at center, Chris Chester works at right guard and a rookie (or maybe even Willie Smith) takes over for Jammal Brown at right tackle. Last year’s starting center Will Montgomery serves as a reliable backup. I think Peyton has found success with less talent in his career before.

4. Draft the Understudy

I don’t care if Peyton likes it or not, he’s 36 years old and someone needs to let him know that he can’t play football forever.

There’s a lot of talk about how Manning doesn’t want a youngster backing him up, simply because he doesn’t want to feel responsible for serving as the mentor. Those same people also use the current situation in Indianapolis with the Colts’ likely offseason plans of drafting Andrew Luck.

Make no mistake about it—having a second, third or fourth-round rookie serving as your backup is much different than having a No. 1 overall pick serving as your backup. In the hopeful scenario that Washington drafts a quarterback in April, Peyton Manning wouldn’t have any reason to feel threatened.

The Redskins wouldn’t ask Manning to take the rookie under his wing or sit down with him after hours. All that rookie needs to do is hold the clipboard, listen in on the play calls and observe the audibles. Peyton Manning is the mentor without even trying to be.

Eventually, the Redskins will need to have their quarterback of the future. Without being forced to throw a rookie into the fire or suffering through the learning curve that may come along with him, the Redskins could have their best opportunity to groom a young signal-caller under one of the best ever.

5. Don't Over-Market, Please

This is more like wishful thinking than an actual demand. Because it’s the NFL, because it’s the Redskins and because it’s Dan Snyder, Peyton Manning in a Redskins uniform will be hyped, marketed, advertised and commercialized more than any other free-agent signing we’ve ever seen.

Although it is true that one of the greatest of all time could come to Washington, I can’t convince myself that the current Peyton Manning is the Peyton Manning of old. And without the Peyton Manning of old, acquiring one of the greatest of all-time isn’t necessarily the recipe for a Super Bowl.

And not to be misunderstood, that’s not only on Peyton Manning and the quarterback situation. The Redskins may be a quarterback away from being playoff contenders, but they’re much farther away from battling for a Super Bowl title.

The problem I have with this is: The more hype there is, the bigger the disappointment.

There’s no need for the over-marketing of Peyton Manning to D.C. Naturally, fans and Redskins supporters will get excited to have No. 18 in burgundy and gold, and ticket sales will increase as a result. But the added “Super Bowl Bound” ad campaigns just add salt to the wound when the Redskins over-achieve and finish the season 8-8 with Manning starting just 10 games.

Conclusion

After that obnoxious list of demands, I will make mention of the fact that I am not trying to come off as being grim or negative. I want nothing more than a solid recovery for Peyton Manning and the injury speculation to serve as nothing more than sheer motivation for a 36-year-old to come back and kick ass for one last hoorah.

But, as Redskins fans, we can all vouch for exciting offseasons with limited regular-season success and terminal disappointment.

Thanks for reading.